AK Fazlul Haq new Bangla Academy president

Prominent intellectual and writer Abul Kashem Fazlul Haq has been appointed as the president of Bangla Academy.

The Ministry of Cultural Affairs issued a notification announcing his appointment yesterday.

Kashem, a former professor of Bangla language and literature at Dhaka University, will serve in this position for the next three years, it added.

Speaking to this newspaper, Kashem said, "Bangla Academy is the national institution of intellectual thinking. But for a long time, it has not been utilised properly. Now, we will aim to revitalise this institution and restore it to its former glory through a collective initiative."

For his outstanding contributions to Bangla literature, Kashem was awarded the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1981.

Novelist Selina Hossain was the last president of Bangla Academy. She had been the president of the academy since February 3, 2022, before resigning on October 17, this year.